Snowplow



Aug- 2, 3 N. w. LA CLAIR SNOWPLOW Filed Jan. 25, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet l F'YEOQ.

J'N VENJOEI Aug. 22, 1933.

N. w. LA CLAIR 1,923,444

SNOWPLOW Filed Jan. 25, 1932 I 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 4 MN L 1 MN F755, 5 INVENTGJZ'.

fl TTWENEX Patented Aug. 22, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT {OFFICE}:

1,923,444 sNoWPLow Norman W. La Clair, St. Paul, Minn.

Application January 25, 1932. Serial No. 588,724

3 Claims. (01. 37-43) My invention relates to a snow plow particularly adapted for highway clearing purposes whether during a snow storm or blizzard or under unusually adverse conditions such as when a snow fall is followed by sleet and freezing or semi-frost weather conditions cause packing of snow, accumulation of ice and ice-coated snow and the like, such latter conditions ordinarliy making highway clearing very difficult. The main object of this invention is to provide a snow plow which will rapidly and efliciently clear a highway orstreet under ordinary weather conditions and also'during more adverse conditions above stated. This device may be made as a self contained power driven device but is illustrated in the accompanying drawings as a device 'detachably secured to the front end of a motor truck or tractor.

In the drawings,-

Fig. 1 is a plan view of my snow plow of a type designed to be detachably secured to the front end of a motor truck or tractor.

, Fig. 2 is a side elevation of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the snow-plow.

Fig. 4 is a detail interior view of the blower apparatus as on line 4-4 in Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary cross sectional view of the rotary beater cylinder and parts of the beater arms thereof and including one arm with an applied cutter member. 7 i

Fig. 6 is a side elevation of the lower end portion of a snow impeller arm used in the machine to impel the snow into the throat of the scoop member and into the blower mounted rearward of said scoop.

Fig. 7 is a front elevation and Fig. 8 a top view of Fig. 6.

Referring to the drawing by reference numerals, 5 designates a large forwardly flared metal scoop member with side guards 6B and 6L extending upwardly and rearwardly and curved'inwardly to form together with the bottornor floor of the scoop, a restricted rearward outlet or opening designated? in Fig. 3 and through which opening snow, etc., is forced into a centrifugal blower 18 mounted in transverse position relative to the movement of the scoop on a suitable platform 8 fixed on a pair of forwardly directed parallel frame bars 9. The scoop has a transverse forward ground engaging edge 5E rearward from. which its floor slopes upwardly to the opening '7 to the blower, said bars supporting the floor part of the scoop as shown and the blower of course being in elevated correspond- 7 ing, position.

suitably journaled under the motor as; in a two upright guide frames 27 at the front of the i of which 35B is directed to the. right outwardly 11 is a platform rearward of the blower and to 1 which the rear parts of bars 9 are secured. 12 are a pair of frame bars extending rearward from the platform and their rear ends preferably made for detachable pivotal connection as at 13 to the front end of a tractor or truck dsignated 14 in Figs. 1 and 2. Members 9--11 and 12 constitute the main frame of the device, the front part of which supports the scoop in slightly inclined plane as the device is moved forward on a street or highway. 7

'15 represents any suitable type of power plant, shown as a gas engine, mounted on suitable framing 16 and in elevated position over platform 11 directly behind the blower. 15'1 isa gear housing from which a downwardly directed drive shaft 158 extends intoa transmission housing 17 delivering power to rotate the blower shaft 18 extendingrearwardly from the blower and bracket 19 (see Fig. 2). 20 is a drive chain sprocket on shaft 18 by means of which a primary drive chain 21 rotates another sprocket 22 on a worm shaft 23 at the right side of. the device, said worm shaft 23 suit- .80 ablyjournaled in brackets 24 mounted on an auxiliary side frame bar 25 fixed at 26 011 platformll and extending forward alongside the scoop. and connected at its front end to one of scoop. 28 is a worm screw on shaft 23 and meshing with a worm gear 29 on a crank shaft 30 extending across the device through the sides of the scoop and having a pair of cranks 30C forward of the blower opening 7 and for a purpose presently to be described. Said crank shaft is journaled suitably as in a bearing 31 on bar 26 and another bearing 32 on theleft side of the scoop. As previously inferred, snowis scooped up by the scoop member during forward movement of the device and certain mechanical means are employed to deliver the snow into the blower J through opening '7. The blower itself a comprises the cylindrical casing 10 in which is mountm0 ed on shaft 18 a series of radial wings 33 fixed on a rotatable rear disc as keyedon the shaft 18.

The casing 10 may be as inFigs. 3 and 4, pro idedwith two tangential outlets 35B and 35L and upwardly in angular position and outlet 35L directed likewise but to the left. Through either of these outlets snow is blown off the highway to right or left, a butterfly valve 36R being provided in oulet 35R and a similar valve 36L in outverse bar 3'7. Parallel to said bar 3'7 and underneath it is suspended a vertically adjustable, rotatable drum 38 with fixed end flanges 38F, said drum extending across the entire opening of the scoop and between frames 2'7. The drum is mounted on a shaft 39 rotatable in bearing-blocks 40 movable vertically one between each pair of rails 27 by means of an adjustment rod41 extending from each block up through bar 37 and threaded for an adjustment nut 42 engaging the .bar (see Fig. 2).

By these means or equivalent thereof the drum 38 may be raised or lowered as desired. The means for rotating this drum may comprise simply a chain-sprocket 43 fixed on crank shaft 30 and which drives a chain 44 driving another sprocket 45 on the right hand end of drum stub shaft 39.

The drum 38 is provided with a number of radial, removable arms 46 throughout its entire length, each arm insertible slidably into an aperture provided for it in the drum and thence diametrically through the drum and through another aperture inthe opposite side of the drum, the latter aperture beingpreferably square to receive a correspondingly shaped part 46S of the arm and a nut 46N engages the exposed threaded end of the arm to hold it rigidly (see Fig. 5). The outer endof each armmay be provided with a removable blade 47 which cuts into and impels the snow toward the rear part of the scoop during rotation of the drum.

The right hand extremity of drum shaft 39 may extend beyond sprocket 45 and carry thereon a propeller-like cutter 48 (see Fig.1) which cuts into the snow at the right side of the device during operation of the device.

49 are a series of cutter blades detachably securable to the front edge part of the scoop each comprising a vertical cutter blade and the series of blades thus mounted cutting into hardened snow or crusted snow and breaking it up formore favorable and efficient action of the rotating impelling arms 46 above. them.

The means just described fully disclose the initial snow engaging, cutting and scooping means which impel snow up the inclined bottom of the scoop toward the narrowed rear part thereof and the inlet '7,to the blower. Said narrowed rear part of the scoop is comparatively small with relation to the front part of it and is actually a throat through which the snow must be forcibly and rapidly projected into the blower by certain means I will now describe.

The crank shaft 30 previously referred to has its cranks 30C directly in front of the blower inlet '7 (see Fig.3). On each crank is journaled at inlet 50A the lower part of an upright beam 50, each beam extending below said journal and provided with a-detachable metal spade like cutter and impelling member 51 comprising a transverse flat face 51F inclined with relation to the beam proper and comprising further a forwardly directed integral blade 513 in vertical plane and having pref erably downwardly directed teeth 51T.

Each beam 50 is pivotally connected at its top end to the rear end of another beam'52 at an elevation over the top of the scoop, each said beam 52 extending forwardly toward the transverse upper frame bar 37 and its front end pivotally connected to a suitable bracket 53 fixed on said bar (see Fig. 1).

The upper parts of the walking-beams 50 thus will have an arcuate reciprocating movement and their lower parts simultaneously moved circularly by the cranks giving those parts of the member 50 below the cranks not only a circular movement but a catapaulting action toward the blower inlet when the crank shaft is rotated. With a relatively high number of R.P.M.s of the crank shaft 30 it is obvious that the kicker means above described and comprising the lower parts of bars 50, the shovel-like members 51 will forcefully and efficiently project all snow moving into the throat of the scoop into the blower intake.

I have not endeavoredrto show proportionally correct sizes of gears, sprockets, cranks, etc., but these matters of design must be left to the manufacturers. Obviously, the speed of the blower fan, the crank 30, beater cylinder 38, etc., can all be determined and made variable to most efficiently take up and dispose of various volumes of snow according to the depth thereof and any other governing conditions.

It will further be readily understood that this device may be connected with any suitable type of hoisting apparatus mounted on the truck 14 to raise the plow from contact with afroad surface. 4

Also, I have shown a power plant 15 on my device but this may be substituted by other available power means which may be provided on the truck or tractor to which my device is attached.

One feature is that this device is not an integral part of a truck or tractor but can readily be disconnected therefrom and stored away for future use whereas the truck or tractor may continue to be used for other purposes.

A number of modificationsmay be embodied" without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. For example, practicallyall the power delivering or transmitting means such as the exposed shafts, sprockets, worm-gears, chains, 7

etc., may be shielded to provide for most efficient operation.

I claim:

1. A snow plow comprising a main frame adapted to be pivotally secured to the forward end of a tractor or the like, a snow scoop supported by said frame and flared forwardly to a ground-contacting transverse edge, said scoop provided with integral side guards tapered rear- Wardly to a restricted outlet normally in elevated position. and the scoop bottom extending forward in inclined plane, an upright rotary fan mounted in transverse plane on said frame rearward. of and communicating with said outlet, an engine mounted in proximity to said fan and operatively connected therewith to rotate the latter,

said rotary fan comprising a fan housing and crank, a fixed inverted U-shaped frame on the front part of the scoop in transverse upright plane, rocking beams pivotally connected at their front ends to the upper part of said frame and extending rearwardly therefrom in parallel relation to each other, the rear ends of said beams pivotally connected each to the upper end of one of said beater members, the lower ends of said beams adapted, when the crank shaft is rotated, to contact with and move the snow rearwardly on the scoop.

2. The structure specified in claim 1, and a primary snow contacting rotary device comprising an elongated cylindrical member in transverse position over the forward edge of the scoop, and means for adjusting said latter member vertically, and means operatively connecting said cylindrical member with the engine, and a series of radial arms removably attached to said cylinder, and further means on the outer ends of said arms comprising knife-like cutter blades removably secured to said arm ends.

3. The structure specified in claim 1, and a primary snow contacting rotary device comprising an elongated cylindrical member in transverse position over the forward edge of the scoop, and means for adjusting said latter member vertically, and means operatively connecting said cylindrical member with the engine, and a series of radial arms removably attached to said cylinder, and further means on the outer ends of said arms comprising knife-like cutter blades removably secured to said arm ends, and an extension shaft provided at the ends of said primary snow contacting device, and a rotary multi-armed snow cutter adapted to be fixed on either of said shaft extensions selectively and exteriorly of the snow scoop to cut a path as described.

NORMAN W. LA CLAIR. 

